Racist Prom Invitation by Southern California Student Sparks Backlash

posted by R.J. Johnson - @rickerthewriter -
May 15, 2019

Two students seen in a photo holding a sign as part of a "promposal" has drawn criticism from parents, students and teachers at a Southern California high school that's set to hold their prom this weekend.

The photo posted to social media shows two teenagers who attend Palos Verdes High School standing together holding a sign and laughing near a brick driveway. The sign reads: "Bianca You are racist, but I would give anything for you to go with me to prom."

The sign also used different fonts to bold and capitalize letters to spell out the N-word. The photo quickly went viral after it was posted to Twitter and Instagram.

Parents and students outraged over the racist "promposal" have demanded that the school investigate the photograph, the Los Angeles Times reported.

In a statement, Palos Verdes High School Principal Allan Tyner said the two students and their families have been contacted and informed that the school was forming a response and to anticipate "severe consequences" for the students.

“In accordance with our values and expectations for respectful conduct in our district and at PVHS, this sign is unacceptable,” Tyner said. “We are also continuing to investigate the situation to determine who else may have been present when the photo was taken, and who took the photo.

“However, we will not discuss the details of any school action or potential consequences for students as we have a strict obligation to protect privacy rights.

“At this time, I am asking all teachers and parents in our school community to join me in reminding our students that we live in a society that must respect diversity and tolerance. Indeed, this life lesson is critical and is one that school and home must partner to teach. At the same time, I am heartened by the immediate response by our students and families on social media that make it very clear that our community does not support this behavior.”

This isn't the first racist promposal to go viral in recent years. One student in Ohio was banned from his high school's prom after using a sign that read "If I was black I'd be picking cotton but I'm white so I'm picking u for prom." Two other students in Texas and Arizona used a similar sign to ask their dates to prom.

Palos Verdes High School is scheduled to hold their prom, "Wish Upon a Star" this Saturday.